Mechanism for transportation of an information carrier

ABSTRACT

A mechanism for the transportation of an information carrier in which the information carrier is unwound from a supply spool onto a take-up spool, the latter being driven by a hydraulic motor coupled in non-slip driving relation therewith. A metering valve is connected to the hydraulic motor for controlling the flow of a working liquid thereto from a pressure source and the valve is controlled by a gauge which responds to the diameter of the information carrier on the take-up reel so that the rate of flow of working liquid to the hydraulic motor is related to the amount of information carrier on the take-up reel whereby the information carrier is driven at a constant linear speed. The mechanism is entirely enclosed within a hermetic housing which is filled with a liquid.

United States Patent [191 Benderovsky et al.

[ MECHANISM FOR TRANSPORTATION OF AN INFORMATION CARRIER Filed:Aug-2,1971 r Appl. No.: "168,128

vs. C]. 242/201 Int. Cl. .Bllb 15/32, oos 1/04 Field of. Search242/201-204;

274/4 D, 11 D, 11 E;'346/74, 136, 145

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1961 Panissidi 242/185 [451Apr. 16, 1974 ,Primary Examiner-Leonard D. Christian Attorney, Agent, orFirm-Eric H. Waters A mechanism for the transportation of an informationcarrier in which the information. carrier is unwound from a supply spoolonto a take-up spool, the latter being driven by a hydraulic motorcoupled in non-slip driving relation therewith. A metering valveisconnected to the hydraulic motor for controlling the flow of a workingliquid thereto from a. pressure source and the valve is controlled by agauge which responds to the diameter of the information carrier on thetake-up reel sothat the rate of flow of working liquid to the hydraulicmotor is related to the amount of information carrier on the take-upreel whereby the information carrier is driven at a constant linearspeed. The

ABSTRACT fmechanism is entirely enclosed within a hermetic housing whichis filled with a liquid.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures HOUSING F/L LED WITH 1. l0 0/0 MECHANISM FORTRANSPORTATION OF AN INFORMATION CARRIER of an information carrier.

The invention can be employed, for example, for transportation ofmagnetic tape, magnetic wire, etc. in an apparatus for magneticrecording of information, belonging to a system of registration of theflight data of an aircraft, or else to registration or control systemsemployed by railways, ships, traffic control networks; it may also beemployed in the program control apparatus of metal working machine toolsand other machines, production lines, conveyors, etc.; in the automaticsystem of production control in various industries; in computers andlike machines, etc.

The present invention, however, may be used to an utmost advantage inassociation with an apparatus in corporating a source of hydraulicpower, i.e. of a liquid under pressure, as for instance, in an aircraftor some other vehicle, a machine tool, etc. Additionally, a mechanismembodying the present invention is well adapted to use metal magnetictapes or bands as the information carrier.

ln mechanisms for transportation of an information carrier, the mostimportant tasks that present certain difficulties are to combine asimple enough structure of the mechanism with an increased reliabilitythereof, particularly, under trying physical and climatic conditions, toensure a constant transportation speed of the information carrier andits uniform tensioning and to prolong the operational life of themechanism.

The known mechanisms are usually not adapted to be operated with metalinformation carriers of magnetic records, notwithstanding the fact thatthese information carriers have a number of advantages.

There are knownmechanisms wherein a constant speed of transportation ofan information carrier is pro vided by a driving shaft rotating at afixed speed and operatively associated with said information carrier.However, the presence in these mechanisms of the driving shaftassociated with the information carrier reduces the reliability of theirperformance. This poor reliability becomes particularly pronounced undertrying climatic conditions, eg when the humidity is very high, sinceunder these conditions the information carrier might slip in relation tothe driving shaft.

It is known that a magnetic recording is made on an information carrierby magnetic recording heads, which fact, on account of the dry frictionbetween the heads, and the information carrier, reduces the operationallife of the entire recording apparatus, particularly in cases when it ishighly desirable to use metal information carriers.

There are known mechanisms wherein transportation of an informationcarrier is effected bysimply winding the information carrier onto thetake-up spool.

However, in these mechanisms the linear speed of the transportation ofthe information carrier permanently varies, following the varyingdiameter of the winding of the information carrier on the spool, whichimposes serious limitations as to the scope of the practical uses ofsuch mechanisms.

For example, in a mechanism for transportation of an informationcarrier, employed in the magnetic recording apparatus for aircraft,Model MR-3lD and other models (see the catalogue of the "SES" Company,the Dala-Saor Chicago Division), in order to improve the stability ofthe speed of transportation of the information carrier, there areemployed a flywheel mounted on the driving shaft adapted to drive theinformation carrier, and a pressure roller.

However, this known mechanism has a serious disadvantage. There isalways a possibility that the information carrier might slip in respectof the driving shaft, particularly, under severe climatic conditions(moisture, dew, frost, etc.).

The use of driving belts for transmitting rotation from the drivingmotor to the driving shaft substantially narrows the range ofoperational temperatures.

The known mechanism cannot be immersed in a liquid, which means that dryfriction is always present in the path of the travel of the informationcarrier, which results in intensive wear of the magnetic heads.

Furthermore, it is a serious disadvantage of the mechanisms of theabovespecified. type that they practically cannot be employed with thinmetal bands as the information carrier, although these metal bandsfeature high magnetic and thermal properties, such as their ability tokeep the information recorded thereon at temperatures as high as 500C.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism whichavoids these disadvantages.

The-present invention has for its aim the provision of a mechanism fortransportation of an information carrier, preferably, of a metalmagnetic band, which insures a constant speed of transportation of thisinformation carrier from one spool onto another, and which is reliablein operation, for example, as a component of the emergency andoperational systems of the registration of the flight data of aircraft.

This aim is attained in a mechanism for transportation of an informationcarrier from one spool onto another with the help of a driving motor andmeans for tensioning said information carrier, in which mechanism,according to the invention, said driving motor is a hydraulic motorhaving its shaft operatively connected with one'of said spools.

It is advisable to include into the hydraulic supply line of saiddriving motor a metering valve providing for the variation of therotational speed of said hydraulic motor in accordance with thevariation of the amount .of said information carrier on one of saidspools, said one spool being connected with said metering valve by meansof a member responsive to the amount of said information carrier on saidspool.

The mechanism for transportation of an information carrier maybeenclosed within a hermetically sealed housing filled with liquid.

The present invention will be further described in connection with anembodiment thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view which shows schematically a drivemechanism for transportation of an infor mation carrier; and

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-section of the metering valve of themechanism shown in FIG. 1 as taken along line 2-2.

Referring now to the appended drawings, the mechanism for transportationof an information carrier, shown in FIG. 1 comprises a hydraulic drivingmotor 1 and two spools 2 and 3, viz. the take-up spool 2 and the supplyspool 3, theoutput shaft of the driving motor 1 being positivelyoperatively connected by a non-slip connection with the take-up spool 2;means 5 for tensioning the information carrier 4, a metering valve 6, agauge 7 responsive to the winding radius of the information carrier 4 onthe take-up spool 2; the entire mechanism being enclosed within ahermetically sealed liquid-filled housing diagrammatically illustratedin FIG. 1.

The supply spool 3 is operatively connected with the take-up spool 2through the information carrier 4. Rigidly secured to the shaft of thetake-up spool 2 is a first toothed wheel 8 meshing with a second toothedwheel 9 of the external rotor 10 of the means 5 for tensioning theinformation carrier 4, the toothed wheel 8 also meshing with a thirdtoothed wheel 11 rigidly mounted on the shaft of the driving motor 1.

Rigidly mounted on the shaft of the internal rotor 12 of the means 5 fortensioning the information carrier 4 is a fourth toothed wheel 13meshing with a fifth toothed wheel 14 rigidly mounted on the shaft ofthe supply spool 3.

The gauge 7 responsive to the winding radius of the information carrier4 is in a permanent physical contact with the external turn of theinformation carrier 4 on the take-up spool 2. The gauge 7 is operativelyconnected through a shaft 15 and a spring 16 with the rotary valvemember 17 (FIG. 2) of the metering valve 6 (FIG. 1). The metering valve6 communicates through a supply conduit 18 with the driving motor 1 andalso communicates through an intake conduit 19 with a source ofliquidunder pressure, e.g. with a liquid pump (not shown). The metering valve6 comprises a housing 20 and a rotary valve member 17, the housinghaving passages 21 for the flow of the working liquid through themetering valve 6.

The herein disclosed information carrier transportation mechanismoperates as follows.

When the mechanism is switched into operation, the working liquid from asource of the working liquid under pressure, e.g. from a liquid pump, issupplied through the conduit 19 to the metering valve 6 wherefrom itflows into the driving motor 1 via the supply conduit 18. The drivingmotor 2 drives the take-up spool 2 in rotation, whereby the informationcarrier 4 is transported from the supply spool 3 onto the take-up spool2. The information carrier 4, as it is being unwound from the supplyspool 3 and wound onto the take-up spool 2, is tensioned by theinformation carrier tensioning means 5. As the information carrier 4 isbeing wound onto the take-up spool 2, the winding radius thereof on thespool 2 increases, and, consequently, it is imperative that the speed ofrotation of the take-up spool 2 be varied correspondingly in order forthe linear speed of the information carrier 4 to stay constant.

Therefore, as the information carrier 4 is being transported, the gauge7 of the winding radius of the information carrier 4 on the take-upspool 2 responds to the varying winding diameter and controls therotation of the valve member 17 (FIG. 2) of the metering valve 6, themovement of the gauge 7 being transmitted to the rotary valve member 17through the shaft 15 (FIG. 1) and the spring 16.

As the rotatary valve member 17 is turned into different angularpositions, the rate of flow of the working liquid to the driving motor 1through the metering valve 6 is varied.

As a result, the rotational speed of the driving motor 1 is variedaccordingly. The adjustment of the rate of flow of the working liquidthrough the metering valve 6 to the driving motor 1 is defined by thecondition that the linear speed of the information carrier 4 should beconstnat:

V= (1r n)/30 R const.

where V the linear speed of the information carrier; n the angular speedof rotation of the take-up spool (r.p.m.); R the winding radius of theinformation carrier on the take-up spool. As is known, the rotationalspeed n of the driving hydraulic motor 1 can be determined from thefollowing formula:

where Q is the rate of flow of the working liquid through the hydraulicmotor;

K is a permanent factor depending on the geometrical dimensions of thestructural parts of the hydraulic motor.

Consequently, it can be seen that where K 'n'/ (30 K) is the permanentfactor.

Therefore, for the linear speed of the information carrier 4 to beconstant, it is imperative that the metering valve 6 should adjust therate of the flow of the working liquid to the driving motor 1 in reverseproportion to the variation of the radius Rlof the Winding of theinformation carrier 4 on the take-up spool 2 with which the drivingmotor 1 is operatively connected.

An information carrier transportation mechanism constructed inaccordance with the present invention is thus capable of ensuring aconstant linear speed of the transportation of an information carrier ofany kind (magnetic tape or band, steel wire, thin metal magnetic band,etc.).

The high reliability and the long operational life of the transportationmechanisms constructed in accordance with the invention, together withthe fact that these mechanisms can be operated with a metal magneticband as the information carrier, open for these mechanisms a wide fieldof applications, for instance, in the construction of emergency andoperational registration devices mounted on all kinds of aircraft.

The herein disclosed mechanism for transportation of an informationcarrier ensures that the information that had been recorded on theinformation carrier during a flight is preserved under any successiveflight conditions, which is particularly essential for the investigationof flight accidents and crashes.

However, a mechanism for transportation of an information carrier,constructed in accordance with the invention, can be used in variousbranches of industry and technology, as well as domestically.

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanism for the transportation of an information carrier, saidmechanism comprising a supply spool on which the information carrier iswound, a take-up spool for receiving the information carrier which isunwound from the supply spool, a hydraulic motor coupled in non-slipdriving relation with the take-up spool to unwind the informationcarrier from the supply spool onto the take-up spool, means fortensioning the information carrier including means drivingly couplingthe supply spool and said motor, a fluid pressure source, a meteringvalve coupled to said hydraulic motor and the pressure source forcontrolling the flow of fluid to the motor from said pressure source,gauge means for sensing the amount of information carrier wound on thetake-up reel, means coupled to said gauge means and to said meteringvalve to control the valve for providing a rate of flow of fluid to thehydraulic motor which is related to the amount of information carrierwound on the take-up reel so that the information carrier is driven at aconstant linear speed, and a housing enclosing all of the aforedefinedelements of said mechanism therein, said housing being hermeticallysealed and filled with a liquid.

2. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said metering valveincludes a casing with a passage for flow of pressure fluid from thesupply to the hydraulic motor, and a rotary valve member in said casingdriven in rotation by the means coupled to the gauge means so as tocontrol the fluid flow in said passage to provide a constant linearspeed of travel of the information carrier.

1. A mechanism for the transportation of an information carrier, saidmechanism comprising a supply spool on which the information carrier iswound, a take-up spool for receiving the information carrier which isunwound from the supply spool, a hydraulic motor coupled in non-slipdriving relation with the take-up spool to unwind the informationcarrier from the supply spool onto the take-up spool, means fortensioning the information carrier including means drivingly couplingthe supply spool and said motor, a fluid pressure source, a meteringvalve coupled to said hydraulic motor and the pressure source forcontrolling the flow of fluid to the motor from said pressure source,gauge means for sensing the amount of information carrier wound on thetake-up reel, means coupled to said gauge means and to said meteringvalve to control the valve for providing a rate of flow of fluid to thehydraulic motor which is related to the amount of information carrierwound on the take-up reel so that the information carriEr is driven at aconstant linear speed, and a housing enclosing all of the aforedefinedelements of said mechanism therein, said housing being hermeticallysealed and filled with a liquid.
 2. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1wherein said metering valve includes a casing with a passage for flow ofpressure fluid from the supply to the hydraulic motor, and a rotaryvalve member in said casing driven in rotation by the means coupled tothe gauge means so as to control the fluid flow in said passage toprovide a constant linear speed of travel of the information carrier.